That’s a relief —- I was beginning to think this tall tale had taken my life over entirely. . . .she wants me to find out who I am. Where I come from. .but I —- [ There are tears that edge at his eyes. ] —- She said my parents aren’t my real ones. I need to find my. .real ones.

“Hey!” Kal said —- a slight jump in his step, like without a second thought. “I said be careful, and yet —-“ He goes quiet, listening, hearing tracks. It sounds like more than five men. “There’s someone coming. Does anyone else use this road?”

She said she was a living form. .of the planet I come from. That my people —- and she. . . .she said she died. And my people came here as refugees —- I just. .I don’t know.

She was a stranger. But I guess she wasn’t —- it sounds too odd to explain. You’ll think I’m crazy.

“Yea, something like that.” Opening up terrified him —- although he could not admit it. Why? Why would having these gifts make him feel so. .isolated? “I just. .sometimes need to be alone. Feels like I can hear the whole world, and I need to shut it out.”

| think Fantasy!Lex and Fantasy!Kal were homies growing up in Smallville (similar to the comics) but Lex’s genius like mind got him noticed by King Zod and he kinda became a sort of Arcane!Jayce for Kondor mhm

“Yea —-“ Although he can leap over them now, so he doesn’t climb as much. “But I prefer walking.” Which was true. “Something about just being alone seems to. .help.” He words trailed off as he watched Solas climb higher.

I don’t know. It’s what I’ve been told —-

Some sort of savior.

You don’t remember? I never knew.

across the sky. Until then though, this is farewell, Kal son of the Kents."

Tears almost swelled at the edges of his eyes, but a single huff demanded them to draw back. “. .Okay.” ‘Kal?’ The call came again, and slowly he began to separate from her. But it felt like he had already done that —- and this was their second time leaving one another.

“No. .no, no hurry at all.” Kal almost mumbled with a roll of his eyes, arms crossing over his chest. “Just. .be careful, y’know. I’ll be. .uh, here.”

“What? But you can’t leave I. .” He felt like his heart ached. So many times, so close to people that seemingly drift apart. Lana. Lex —- before he left for Metropolis. “I have so many questions.” Kal says, almost defeated, a whisper turned mumble.

“Again?!” He says, almost astonished. Drive? Or something close to it he guessed. Pa would say stupidity —- Ma would say bravery. Clark fell somewhere between. “Are you sure?”

“I guess nothing at all.” ‘Kal! Kal?’ The woman’s voice comes from afar —- on the porch just a few yards away from them. “That’s Ma.” He says, taking a hesitant step towards the voice. Before stopping.

“What hah —-“ Kal can’t help but laugh, until he realizes. “Oh. .you’re serious? Oh. .uh, alright. I guess, no. Yea, yea. I can handle that.”

“Wait —- companion? What do you mean? Someone from Krypton?” He said, genuinely curious.

| he’s very Disney’s Hercules coded and that’s completely intentional I have thought time and time again it is one of the best Superman movies ever made

Maybe it could be her? But he wouldn’t want to impose. She knew so much, and he knew so little. Lost in the world, maybe even more so than before. But within him stirred a sense of purpose, a calling —- something greater had always awaited him.

“Of course.” He nodded, a gentle smile on his lips that almost hid behind the length black curls of his hair. “Are you off somewhere?”

It’s. .overwhelming. She knew so much of him that it was almost fact now —- she was Krypton. She was the planet that the Kingdom spawned from, she was the lost story and culture of people nearly erased.

| must sleep but perhaps the “it’s the truth son” solo thread sometime this week

“Me? Kryptonian?” He half huffed half laughed. “As if.” Kal said, another scoff. King Zod —- he was Kryptonian. You could tell. His booming voice, his power, his knowledge. Kal? Kal was a Kent. Always had been. “Jor El sounds. .noble. Unbelievably noble.”

“Thank you.” He meant it —- the lands around had been. .shaken lately. People had grown meaner, crime had grown larger —- maybe even the sun shined dimly. So this, even a small act, felt like the clouds parting. “I’d pay you back but I dropped my fruit basket coming here. To uh, save you.”

“Jor. .” The word comes from his lips like he had already known it. Like his life was someone with his. This Jor. Jor El. .Like the El’s of old? The family that gave their life in protection of King Zod. “You’re Krypton?” He says, and although it seems. .

before. "I am that planet, Krypton. The mother of all related to the Kryptonian bloodline. Conquest, and war, disease and famine. A hero named Jor-el had witnessed it all, and in a desperate attempt, he left, bringing a son and wife with him, along with others. He was a hero, and a hero's blood ↓

A small hum, eyes glancing toward the sky. "You remember the story the King tells. About a planet named Krypton and how she existed beyond measure. How she was the home of the strongest and the smartest, but now she exists no more because of war and conquest?" It was a story she heard many times ↓

“Oh that’s —-“ He’s not tired, not even close to it. He feels like he could run forever, jump higher, hells maybe even fly. Maybe some day. “You’re too kind. Way too kind.”

| thinking this Kal’s fortress of solitude would be the grave site of Jor and Lara whenever he finds out he’s an El. Mhm.

“What about you?” He says. Arms crossing over his chest. “Are you here to push me in the right direction? From our first meeting. .I can’t say you’ve been anything but. .well I don’t know, unreal.” Kal says through a laugh, as if disbelieving himself.

“Uh yea. .” He says, maybe even a little shyly. “I like to walk.” Which was true, more so than most. Kal enjoyed the silence, the lonesomeness —- even if it did eat at him sometimes. “Why?”

“I —-“ She sounded like Pa. “I do. But, I’m just not sure. I hate that I’m unsure. It drives me crazy.”

| now I miss my own absolute Superman, but we ball once I read volume 1 maybe someday

“Yea —- yea we do.” He says with a nod, shoulders that seemed so tense began to ease. So strange, trusting others. Even as a boy he felt like an outsider, instances of surprising strength, hearing and speed he never knew he had. Until it all accumulated to last year.

𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘴... ...𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙣 𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙡.

Kal looks around, almost sheepishly, she talks so freely about the ruler —- he’d hate for this new friend to be locked away. “Zod. .Zod does what he can to protect people. Gotham tried to separate itself from Kandor years ago —- we’ve seen what happens when that is tried.”

“Heh —-“ He lets a laugh pass out, and the stress in his shoulders suddenly begins to drop. Kal turns finally, offering the axe to them. “Like Zod would ever let a farmer like me serve.”

“Yea. .like everything is so —- fragile. Like I have to walk on eggshells, or. .stay away from people.” He says, back turned to her. “Survived? Survived what?”

“I. .guess so.” Holding the axe in his hands, he weighs his truths. “One day, a year ago —- I began to feel. .uncertain. Like I didn’t fit here, amongst Smallville, amongst the Farm.”

“Oh —-“ Great. Someone saw. “Sorry, I’ve been at it all day. . .looks like it uh, finally gave way heh.”

Now, chopping a tree that seems to be dull at its roots. One chop. Another. No one looking? —- A single strike is at it takes now, like slicing through parchment to him.

Fall is coming, luckily he’s been more and more help to Pa on the coming stock. A trip to Metropolis this coming week will surely help with selling fresh crops.

“Oh? Uh. .” Kal had to think for a moment, crossing his somewhat larger arms over his chest. He thought back to the first winter he ever worked with Pa on —- the heaviness of the snow and the unyielding stinging of cold wind. He thought to last spring, when nothing seemed to grow right.

Early morning on the farm.

He watched —- and let out a muffled laugh as she tripped, before boarding his wagon and snapping the horses into a small gallop. Towards Kent Farm, and away from what he could only describe as an enlightening moment. It felt like a 𝑠ℎ𝑖𝑓𝑡.

Right. He thinks to himself —- gotta stop saying sorry. The same words that came from his mouth when he saved Smallville last year —- why be sorry? You’re good at this Kal.

She was. .odd. But he knew odd, he grew up odd —- he 𝑤𝑎𝑠 odd. Kal nodded politely, moving to the side of the wagon —- where he tightened the reigns on the two horses at its head.